Divine Appointments and the Gentle Hand of God

Yesterday, I had a conversation with one of my students that left me deeply moved. I asked him what had caused his faith to grow and what led to the turnaround in his life. At just 16 years old, his response was both simple and profound: divine appointments.

He shared moments that were so perfectly timed, so impossibly orchestrated, that they could only have come from God. These weren’t coincidences—they were sacred encounters. He spoke of disappointments that had weighed heavily on him, and how those very valleys eventually led him back to church. It was in those moments of return, of quiet surrender, that his young faith was cemented. Listening to him, I felt a deep sense of awe. How beautiful it is when God meets us in our youth, in our searching, and gently draws us back to Himself.

His story reminded me of my own journey. I’ve been encountering God’s hand in places I never expected—in the disorder of my marriage, in the complexities of motherhood, in the quiet ache of things not yet healed. And yet, through it all, God has been good. Not just in the outcomes, but in the process. In the waiting. In the wrestling. In the grace that holds me when I feel undone.

There’s something sacred about seeing God move in both the young and the seasoned. It reminds me that He is not bound by age or circumstance. He is the same faithful Father, weaving redemption into every chapter of our lives.

I’m learning that divine appointments aren’t just dramatic interventions—they’re also the quiet nudges, the unexpected conversations, the moments of clarity in the midst of chaos. They’re reminders that we are seen, known, and loved by a God who never stops pursuing us.

So today, I celebrate the testimony of a 16-year-old boy and the ongoing testimony of my own life. Both speak of a God who is near. A God who is good. A God who writes stories of grace even in the mess.